Topic: A Discussion about Pricing

Actually I'll take that a step further and say that's the problem with GAMES in general. There's never a guarantee that the next console a company makes will be backwards compatible, and, historically, they nearly never are. (Though the trend does seem to be changing, and that's a positive thing.)

So it's not a question of "Can I play my downloads next generation?" At least, not entirely. It's the same question you should be asking about your retail games. And if you're not worried about those being playable in a few years, then there's really not a reason to worry about the downloadable ones either.

lol no

Retail games you can always buy a new system

I could go buy a NES right now or a Dreamcast and I could play my retail games and be all happy

When the Wii kicks the bucket, the downloads will be gone. Even if they 'graciously' transfer some of your games over, you think they'll do that next gen?

Three generations from now, I can always buy a Wii from someone and play my retail games, no problem. Can I play my downloadable games? Highly, highly doubt it.

That's EXACTLY my point Alex. 10 years from now, how are we gonna be able to play all of the games some of us are shelling out hundreds of dollars for right now?

Those are all fair points. Of course, go far enough down the generational timeline and you won't be able to play your Wii games at all...or any CD or DVD based game, thanks to the layers separating on the disc due to age. Yes, part of me still believes cartridges were the way to go. :/

But yes, the topic at hand is certainly a valid one. But the fact is that you're getting what you pay for: a game to download onto your Wii. No guarantee was ever made that they'd be carried over next generation (though it's not impossible), and the service has never been misrepresented as such. If anyone really invested hundreds of dollars in downloadable games assuming they'd be theirs forever and ever amen, well...they probably should have done their homework first.

The service was never misrepresented, and we each choose how much we decide to (or not to) buy from it. I agree it could be better. But it's difficult for me to get upset over something that 1) is working as advertised, and 2) is likely enough to carry over next generation anyway.

Replay value being what it is, there are only so many games I would be worried about anyway. Of all the games I have downloaded, there is maybe one that I would miss enough to repurchase it. I have already played through my other games to my satisfaction, and while I still return to them from time to time, I wouldn't miss them that much if they were gone. Super Mario World, however, is timeless--in fact, I just bought it for the third time yesterday!

That said, how Nintendo handles download transfers may influence my decision on whether or not to purchase a 3DS. There's too much handheld competition these days that knows how to run download stores, and I think downloads actually make way more sense than physical games when you want portability.

Interesting...er...topic.

I read the original post, but I was just saying it'd be easier to follow with paragraph. Giving someone a tip never hurts.

I've never heard of Nintendo not transferring titles. There are countless reports of Wiis breaking and having the games replaced. I don't even know of that many (if any) Wiis breaking to the point that they can't play downloadable games. Disc reader problems or bricked home brew Wiis are all I've heard about.

Aside from a handful of unreasonably priced games, like one $15 freeware title, the prices aren't bad at all. Your Wii, even if it craps out and Nintendo for some reason doesn't reload it with games (which seems like a very easy thing for them to do), it'll almost certainly last much longer than a rental, and yet be for about the same amount or less. Unless your Wii breaks every five days, it's hard to say it's not getting your money's worth by comparison, but I would hazard a guess that it's not the Wii's fault if that's the case.

I really don't see pricing and the transfer solution as in any way related. I'm certainly concerned about transferring to Wii 2. The DSi / XL situation is not comforting one bit, but I hope they'll care more about the Wii.